Lowboy top & grain

[Doug Mason]

Quick question on a lowboy I am planning to build. Attached are a couple photo's of a 7 ft long piece of walnut I resawed in order to make a bookmatched top (3/4in x 20in x 34in):

1.jpg 2.jpg

In looking at this--what do you think--is the grian too wild (not linear enough)for a lowboy top? The blanks I have for the legs are all straight-grained (per the photo). And if I do use these pieces, what part would you use (I need to get 3 feet out of the 7 feet).

Thx for your input. This will be my first project where I am actully paying attention to grain pattern for aestetic purposes

[Jim Koepke]

Quick question on a lowboy I am planning to build. Attached are a couple photo's of a 7 ft long piece of walnut I resawed in order to make a bookmatched top (3/4in x 20in x 34in):

In looking at this--what do you think--is the grian too wild (not linear enough)for a lowboy top? The blanks I have for the legs are all straight-grained (per the photo). And if I do use these pieces, what part would you use (I need to get 3 feet out of the 7 feet).

Thx for your input. This will be my first project where I am actully paying attention to grain pattern for aestetic purposes

Rules? There are Rules for making a piece of art?

I kind of like the end where the light wood comes to a point.

Can the legs be darkened?

jim

[Robert Rozaieski]

Mmmm. Too wild? Depends on your intentions for the piece. Are you trying to make an accurate reporduction of a specific period piece? Then you may want to tone it down a bit. Are you just making a period styled piece (my personal preference)? Then I think the "wildness" is really a personal aesthetic decision. Is the piece for you or a commission? If it's for you, do you like it? If so then go with it. If it's a commission, I'd get customer input.

Here's my take on it (because you asked for it ). I like the bookmatch, however, Queen Anne (and pretty much all baroque furniture until the Rococo style took over) was very much designed to be very symetrical. When I look at the bookmatch in your boards, I see symmetry front to back but not left to right. TO MY EYE, this detracts from the appearance of the top so this particular bookmatch would not be my first choice. However, you could resaw the pieces again and turn them into veneer and do a veneered top with a 4 way bookmatch (on a straight grained walnut substrate). TO MY EYE, this would look better and would probably be how I would proceed. Again, this is just my opinion. In the end (as long as you aren't building it for someone else) it's your piece and you are the one that needs to like it.

[mike holden]

Doug,
If it were me, I would take my top from the end that had the most light wood.
You are only using 34 of the 84 inches shown, and that would make the most symmetrical look to the top.
In this sort of piece, the wild grain patterns normally are held to a minimum - going more for subtle patterns that reinforce the shape.
Still, as a woodworker, and lover of wood, I like to see the grain used well.
Dont think that you can go wrong here.

Just a thought, have you flipped the boards so that the inside is outside and thought about how that might look?

Keep us posted on your progress.
Mike

[John Keeton]

I certainly could be wrong here, but it looks like the walnut is kiln dried and steamed - and that the light area is actually sapwood??? If that is the case, I would think it will really lighten over time. Of course, the heartwood will, as well. But, I would be afraid that at some later point, the contrast you now have will look entirely different.

Personally, I don't like either for a low boy top, but that is a matter of personal taste. It just seems it would be hard to have a good symetrical ending on either end of the top. The light wood is going to be wider on one end or the other.

It's hard to get a feel for how wide the bookmatched pieces are, but is it possible to get all heartwood from the pieces in pic #1 by removing the sapwood in the middle and on the outsides?

I guess the next question is - are you going to use what is left for the other parts of the case? If so, you are going to end up with some real competing grain.

[David Gendron]

I think in my taste, i would try to find the part of the book match that is the more simetrical... and it look like the middle third or close to that!
Only my 2 cents worth!

[Jim Kountz]

Since you asked I would look for some other stock for the top. I just finished a lowboy (walnut) and I tried to match the grain as close as possible so that it appeared as one board. To my taste this resulted in a better looking top for a lowboy. Your bookmatch there is some amazing looking wood, perhaps maybe for a more contemporary piece??

[Frank Drew]

I think tops and panels are where you want the showiest material; legs, frame parts and so on are better with straight grained stuff.

[Doug Mason]

Thx for the input. I hve concluded that I don't at all like these boards for the top.

I'm going to try to find more linear material for the top as what I have here will draw the eye instantly--much like on a framed picture where poorly selected matting/or framing is too dominate.

Live & learn. I'll have to select my stock more carefully--something I need more practice at.

[David Keller NC]

Doug - If you're after authenticity, one generally does not find 18th century pieces with any sapwood at all - anywhere. And at least in walnut, mahogany and cherry pieces, it'd be very rare to see one without a single board top and sides. Maple pieces sometimes had 2 boards glued into a top, though.

Here in the East, it's not too difficult to find black walnut in the widths required to make a single board top. However, I'm not sure about California - it might be considerably more difficult.

One comment about the legs - I'm assuming that the pictured leg is your template, as it doesn't look as though it's made of walnut. If so, one thing to be aware of is that you can change the appearance of the leg pretty radically by orienting the grain so that the rings when viewed from the end go from the back of the leg to the outside corner, rather than going from one side corner to the other. The latter orientation results in a "bulls eye" on the knee, as it appears in your template. The former orientation results in grain lines that follow the curve of the leg.

Jeffrey Greene, in his book "American Furniture of the 18th Century", suggests that the grain be oriented so that it follows the curve of the leg. However, it's not at all clear that 18th century cabinetmakers followed this advice. The most valuable American 18th century tea table auctioned to date (the Goddard family ball&claw Newport table) that was made by one of the most celebrated 18th century cabinetmakers (John Goddard) had the grain oriented so that it formed a bulls-eye on the knee. This example was mahogany, of course, but the rings were visible nonetheless.

[Ben Davis]

Well, I would say that for a lowboy.... whatever. But a 4-way book match with that crotch grain would make an outstanding occasional table top!